Just in time for the unofficial start of summer, the beloved antique wooden carousel by Battleship Cove will be back open by Memorial Day after being closed for repairs since last August.

In addition to some minor mechanical repairs to get the carousel running again, the attractive pavilion housing the circa-1920 amusement park ride that was moved to Fall River’s waterfront in 1992 from Dartmouth’s former Lincoln Park, now has a new roof to protect the gem inside. Next, work will begin on the front of the building inside Fall River Heritage State Park.

While the reopening of the carousel is a positive development, efforts to promote tourism in Fall River seem to be on a merry-go-round that just goes around and around without ever arriving at a destination. Too many people don’t seem willing to work together or embrace new ideas necessary to change direction.

At last week’s City Council Committee on Economic Development and Tourism meeting, Chamber of Commerce CEO Rob Mellion stressed the importance of positive re-branding, but FROED Executive Vice President Kenneth Fiola Jr. launched into his familiar laundry list of the city’s problems. While it’s important to recognize the challenges facing the city and work to fix them, Fiola’s approach is hardly accomplishing that.

Those ugly Route 79 spaghetti ramps no longer obscure the view of the waterfront, but the demolition work, road closures and highway replacement make it more confusing to find the waterfront. It’s important for officials to place plenty of signage from highways and along city streets so that visitors can find the city’s attractions along the waterfront and elsewhere. While the detours, road closures, and traffic headaches are certainly a challenge, they provide an opportunity to highlight all those points of interest to the motoring public.

With the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion and Battleship Cove’s impressive D-Day exhibit on display, there should be even more visitors than usual making their way to the city’s waterfront this year. Add to that the revival of the Marine Museum, the expected launch of Newport and Block Island ferry service, and the entertainment lineup at the Narrows Center for the Arts, and it’s easy to see how this could be a big summer for Fall River.

However, the city has got to sweep up and get the place ready for its guests. Although the weather was uncooperative for the citywide cleanup on Saturday and the event has been postponed until June, the trash must not just remain along our roads for more than a month. There remains far too much unsightly litter on major highways, city and state roads and neighborhood streets. In the absence of the coordinated cleanup program, perhaps groups and civic-minded residents can take it upon themselves to help sweep up.

Page 2 of 2 - As economic development officials said at last week’s tourism meeting, it is time for the city to recognize the tremendous resources here, and accentuate the positive aspects to the city. But in order for that to happen, officials must work cooperatively and dedicate the resources necessary to give the city the push it needs to become the viable destination it truly can become.